Theo Walcott grasps his belated chance

On the up: Theo Walcott beats Liam Rosenior

By John Ley

12:01AM BST 21 Apr 2008

Arsenal (2) 2 Reading (0) 0

Theo Walcott turned 18 in March of last year but the popular belief is that he came of footballing age on a blustery, cold April lunchtime in 2008. Against the paupers of Reading, a player rich in talent burgeoned into a man with a performance that offered much hope for the future.

One cannot help wondering, however, that had Walcott been given a longer run earlier in the season, more mature displays might have been forthcoming at a juncture that could have improved Arsenal's chances of success.

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Importantly, Arsenal threw off the albatross that was their six-day debacle in the Champions League and Premier League to dispatch Reading with ease. Two goals could have been 10 as Arsenal teased with a tormented side who, on this performance, hardly deserve to be rubbing shoulders with the elite.

Starting wide, rather than in the central striking role he prefers, Walcott showed a maturity in his overall play with an ability to spark a stadium. When he gets the ball midway in the opposition half, there is a buzz of expectation. For Walcott, next season began last Saturday.

Asked if it was Walcott's best game for the club, manager Arsene Wenger did not hesitate. "Yes," he said. "It was his most complete when he looked most a man. I would say his most mature performance and next season began for him.

"You have seen Theo in games at the start of the season when you have only seen glimpses of him and you think that there is something there. And now he is starting to show it for a whole game and I am thinking of starting him for the rest of the season."

Walcott revealed at the weekend that he had been to see Wenger about how he could command a regular place, and the manager added: "I told him he needed to be more aggressive. And he is that now and I think against Reading you see that. Before he was out of the physical contact and now you see that he had made a step forward."

Where, then, will he be this time next year? "That's down to him," Wenger added. "I hope that he continues to produce this kind of performance and that he can produce between 10 and 15 goals to his name."

And for team-mate Gilberto, captain of Brazil and 12 years his senior, Walcott's future is bright. "Apart from being a great player, he is a very nice guy but I think people need to give him time," Gilberto said. "Sometimes people are trying to put pressure on him and between him and the manager. But if they let him do his job freely then I think he can be one of the best players in England.

"But sometimes people forget that he is very young. He needs to progress in the way he plays. He will do it but if I was him then I would be very calm because he's playing for a big club, he's doing very well, he's got plenty of time to learn things and improve himself."

Gilberto scored Arsenal's second goal, albeit via a deflection off Andre Bikey's head, after the impressive Emmanuel Adebayor had claimed his 27th goal of the season. It took half an hour to break Reading's dogged defending, but once they were 2-0 down, Reading surrendered and Arsenal hit them with wave after wave. Robin van Persie struck the bar and post in one movement before Walcott struck the crossbar.

Cesc Fabregas and Alexander Hleb controlled midfield, rather too forcefully for Reading manager Steve Coppell's liking. Hleb thrust his hand into the face of Graeme Murty in an off-the-ball incident not spotted by the referee. Cameras did catch the incident and Hleb could face sanction. Coppell said: "Hleb slapped him across the neck and it is clearly visible on the video. I don't know how the procedure is at the Football Association. It seems some mystery man phones in and says 'have a look at the tape'."

With four games without a goal and just one point clear of the relegation zone, Reading's future looks uncomfortable.

Coppell was at a loss to explain the decline.

"If you asked me what my strongest team at the moment is, I wouldn't know, I really wouldn't know," he admitted. "To a certain extent that's disturbing. But we have three games coming up in our mini-season and we know what we've got to do."

Relegation run-in

Wigan:

Reading (h) April 26, Aston Villa (a) May 3, Man Utd (h) May 11

Middlesbrough:

Sunderland (a) April 26, Portsmouth (h) May 3, Man City (h) May 11

Sunderland:

Middlesbro (h) April 26, Bolton (a) May 3, Arsenal (h) May 11

Bolton:

Tottenham (a) Apr 26, Sunderland (h) May 3, Chelsea (a) May 11

Reading:

Wigan (a) Apr 26, Tottenham (h) May 3, Derby (a) May 11

Birmingham:

Liverpool (h) Apr 26, Fulham (a) May 3, Blackburn (h) May 11

Fulham:

Man City (a) Apr 26, Birm'ham (h) May 3, Portsm'th (a) May 11

PunchballsAlexander Hleb's slap on Graeme Murty on Saturday is nothing compared to antics in America: Ice Hockey: When Pittsburgh Penguins faced Toronto Mapleleafs in January, Jarkko Ruutu and Toronto's Darcy Tucker engaged in in a bar-style brawl. Baseball: In 2001, pitcher Blas Cedeno caught Boston Red Sox's Izzy Alcantara with the ball. Alcantara charged at Cedeno, and grounded the catcher with a kick. Basketball: During a university basketball game in Arizona this year, play was interrupted when the two mascots came to blows.